| China upgrades west-to-east gas pipeline's transmission capability |
LANZHOU, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- China has started a project to increase the transmission capability of the west-to-east natural gas pipeline, the country's main energy artery, from 12 billion cubic meters to 17 billion cubic meters a year.
The first compressor station of the expansion program was completed on Friday in the county of Gulang, northwest China's Gansu Province, said the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) West-to-East Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Company.
The company planned to test and put into use five to six compressor sets every month, and the entire expansion program is expected to complete within five months, said its deputy general manager Ding Jianlin.
Upon completion, the pipeline will be able to add another five billion cubic meters of natural gas to its current transmission capability each year, Ding said.
Started in July 2002 with a total investment of about 140 billion yuan (about 17.5 billion U.S. dollars), the long-distance pipeline was completed and began full operation on Oct. 1 2004.
So far, the pipeline has provided 12.1 billion cubic meters to 44 customers in the east part of the country.
Ding said the initially designed transmission capacity falls short of the needs of the eastern provinces, where a fast-growing economy keeps the clean, effective and cheap natural gas on high demand.
Analysts said China will see a soaring demand of natural gas in the next ten years. The natural gas consumption In coastal Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu will increase to 19.9 billion cubic meters by 2010.
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